Iranian President Hassan Rouhani offered Tehran’s help to mediate between warring factions in the Syrian civil war, in an article published on Friday in the Washington Post.
“We must create an atmosphere where peoples of the region can decide their own fates,” he wrote. “As part of this, I announce my government’s readiness to help facilitate dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition.”
The United Nations estimates that more than 100,000 people have died since early 2011 in the conflict between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and an array of rebel groups.
Since taking office in August, Mr. Rouhani has been signalling interest in dialogue with the US and other Iranian rivals and has called for renewed talks with international powers over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.
Mr. Rouhani is scheduled to address the annual UN General Assembly on Tuesday in New York.
“As I depart for New York for the opening of the UN General Assembly, I urge my counterparts to seize the opportunity presented by Iran’s recent election,” he wrote.
“I urge them to make the most of the mandate for prudent engagement that my people have given me and to respond genuinely to my government’s efforts to engage in constructive dialogue.”
